


Monsters under Starlight

by ClaraCivry (Kat_Of_Dresden)



Category: Pacific Rim (2013), The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-08
Updated: 2014-01-30
Packaged: 2018-01-08 00:22:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1126145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kat_Of_Dresden/pseuds/ClaraCivry
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fili and Kili are Jaeger pilots, one of the last defenses against the Kaijus. </p><p>But when Fili is injured, he will be replaced by Tauriel - and the younger Durin and her will develop and strong bond. Eventual Kiliel.</p><p>They were so different... but so alike. </p><p>Lots of Angst will happen, beware! </p><p>Also featuring Marshall Thorin, Tendo Bilbo and a bunch of LOTR  character as the other pilots.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The monsters came and to defend ourselves, we built our own monsters.

But the Kaijus were ever more powerful and had learned how to unmake the Jaegers. They learned that they had to break those giant robot before anything else. Many had succumbed, many Jaegers and most of the pilots that were inside. There were only a few left, while the monsters didn’t cease coming.

The remaining Jaegers and their pilot were led by Marshall Thorin Oakenshield a former Jaeger pilot who lost his home in one of the first Kaiju attacks. He was though but brave, a good strategist. He knew what was important and put it first. Sadly, Thorin had lost a great deal of people (including his father, who’d been missing since a mission many years ago) who’d made him quite protective of the few people that were left. Of course, he knew that the most important thing was the mission, but anyone got injured he would much rather  leave them behind than risk losing them.

His second-in-command was informatics tech Bilbo Baggins, a man with a smiley face in his early forties, also called _the burglar._ He’d been insecure and not so good at first, but with the time he’d found his courage and learned a few tricks which had helped him become an important part of the team. They were being watched and helped by the Queen Galadriel, who always seemed to know what was happening and what should be done and had helped them countless times with her gadgets and her wisdom.

And he knew some of the pilots, like the ones from the Shire Power, his young  nephew Frodo and his best friend Sam, who rode a small but decent fighting Jaeger. The _Shire Power_ was most useful as backup, but had been known to take out some Kaijus by himself. Despite this, since it was a small thing it was most usually used for missions that required constancy , like throwing an explosive ring into the rim, for example.

Then there was the _Leaders of Men_ , a grey enormous Kaiju, piloted by a couple, Eowyn and Faramir, after the previous one (Aragorn and Arwen) had kids and decided to focus on them and leave the fighting to younger people. They were good and willing, but the fire-power of the _Leaders_ was not as impressive as others (it was an old Jaeger, one of the first built) and so, as they Kaijus became bigger and more dangerous it had become extremely dangerous for them to go into the battlefield alone.

But they had a perfect killing machine among them, too. An enormous Jaeger, the only elegant Jaeger, all built in white and silver who’d come from the lands of the forest. The _Elven Monsterslayer_ , piloted by a father and son – Thranduil and Legolas.  They were quick, they were graceful, they’d been trained warriors all of their lives. Everybody was afraid of them, as they should be.

But none of them paralleled the number of Kaijus from the last Jaeger, the newest. The _Durin menace_ was piloted by Thorin’s young nephew’s, Fili and Kili and it was the best thing to happen in the fight against Kaijus in a very long time.  In fact, many people considered the menace the last line of defense they really had, and the one thing that kept them from total annihilation. Fili was the oldest and most responsible, a young blonde man with clear ideas. Kili had shoulder-length black hair, a big smile and a great desire to prove himself worthy of his family. They were their best hope and everybody  knew it, so they were ready every time that Bilbo informed of an incoming new monster.  

One of the things that made them so good was that the brothers were very in sync’. They’d been raised together, and having no father after he was killed in one of the first attack, which had made them be extremely protective of each other. Everybody was real proud of the Durin menace, specially Thorin, but sometimes they worried. They were out in the battle so many times that something bad was bound to happen to them.

And something did.

* * *

 

They were fighting not far from base, on the sea, with a clawed Kaiju that seemed to know the exact place where the pilots were, and had gone for it. Now the giant blue Jaeger had an enormous claw-hole where its heart should be, and the older brother was badly injured. Fili’s leg had been shattered, there was a claw wound in his neck and the only reason why the oldest Durin still lived was because his brother had seen the Kaiju’s intentions coming and had made a dangerous but effective pirouette. Now Fili was unconscious in his place and didn’t wake, no matter how hard his little brother screamed for him.

Now Kili had to kill that Kaiju and pilot the thing back to base on his own, and he had to be quick, because he needed to get help for his brother. He had to focus. The Kaiju was mean, but he was meaner. He went at it with all his might, shot the fire arrows, threw the the enormous knives, even the missile went out on the kaiju.

He watched, through teary eyes how the enormous monster fell. Victory.

Now he had to get themselves out of the sea – so they would get help. Bilbo had already sent help but if they stayed still the Jaeger would fill with water (it was coming from every hole that damn monster had made) and they would drown if Kili didn’t get them to safety.

But Jaegers were not supposed to be piloted by only one person, and Kili was feeling the weight of moving the enormous robot by himself. Pressure was building up in his head and he could barely see straight. His stomach made a painful jump but he had to continue. For his brother, right next to him, still unconscious. For his uncle, who had lost too many people already. He had to continue. Towards the base. Towards help.

His eyes were watering now, two big brown pools who could barely see anymore. It was too much. He couldn’t handle it, the pressure in his head, in his stomach and on his lungs. The _Menace_ was too big for him to handle.  But he kept at it. For Fili. For the rest of the world. They needed them. And he needed to know he’d done everything that was possible for his brother to be safe. Fili had kept him safe so many times… Now it was his turn.

The water was rising, but Kili moved and made sure that his brother would be able to breathe properly. With his last waking thoughts and as the pressure in his head was reaching unbearable proportions, he reached the base.

Help was there almost immediately.

When they found them, a newly woken Fili, ignoring the pain in his leg and neck was shouting his brother’s name, who had passed out and was bleeding profusely from his nose and mouth.

“Kili! Kili!”

But Kili couldn’t hear him anymore.


	2. Chapter 2

When he woke up, Kili could hear the beeping noises surrounding him.  His whole body felt exhausted and sore and if he’d been fighting for a whole week without stopping. His head hurt most of all but his stomach felt quite unsettled, too. With his eyes still closed, he tried to remember what had happened. The beeping made it hard to think.

They were in the sea… And the Kaiju had claws, he remembered now… Then it all came back to him – how the thing holed up the Menace, how he had to bring them back to base by himself… Fili! What had become of his brother?

Feeling slightly panicked, he quickly opened his eyes and looked around him. He was in a room in the medbay as expected and there he was, his brother, on a wheelchair with his leg completely plastered and his neck bandaged. But he seemed to be otherwise all right. Kili felt he could breathe again.

Fili smiled.

“Hey, it’s good to have you back. You had everyone worried – uncle has just left and Bilbo and Legolas were here too, in the morning. You gave us quite a scare.”

“I’m fine… I think.” His head still pounded painfully, but he tried to ignore it. There were more important things. “How are you? You were out for a long time, in the Menace.”

Fili knew it, knew how close it had been this time.

“I’m alive and that’s saying a lot considering the situation. I owe you my life, Kili.”

“Nothing you wouldn’t have done.”

Fili smiled a bit, again. He’d been really worried when they had taken his unconscious little brother out of the Menace, with all that blood. But he was okay. Kili was resilient, but his brother feared that the next injury would be the one to change everything. Sometimes he wished he could take him out of the line of fire…. Keep him safe. That didn’t seem to be an option, not at least for a while.

“The Doctors say you should be as good as new in a couple of days, so… At least there will be one of us to man the Menace.”

Kili frowned.

“What do you mean, one of us?”

“With this leg I’m out of the game for between six and eight weeks. You’ll have to find yourself another partner.”

“NO!”

“Kili….”

“We are the Durin Menace, you and I. If you can’t come I’ll stay here with you.” There was no other way.

“Then we might not have a place to stay in anymore. It’s the Menace that’s keeping us safe, the few people that are left.”

“I’m not doing this without you.” His brother insisted. Piloting was something of two people, something of brothers. Fili couldn’t be replaced.

“You have to, Kili. We’re one of the last few things keeping the world be devoured by Kaijus. We can’t trust the _Elven,_ you know that when things get though Thranduil decides he doesn’t want to help. People out there need the _Menace_ , Kili. People in here too. And there’s nothing that I would like more than to have you safe here for a while, but it wouldn’t be fair. You know it.”

He knew it was true. Without them, things could get very ugly. And nobody knew the workings of the Menace, all the features and limitations, every little detail. If they handed the Jaeger to other people, two strangers, they wouldn’t be able to pilot it to its full potential. But drifting with someone else…. He didn’t want to. It was an intimate thing, that, something he shouldn’t have to do with anyone else.

“There won’t be anyone, Fili. After all the shit I’ve gone through and… No one will be compatible.”

“We’ll have to see that.”

“I don’t like this.”

“I’ll be back, Kili. Thanks to you, and your quick action. You saved me and you can save so many other people. I’m sure there will be someone who’s right for you.”

But Kili seemed to be right, as all the tests they ran came out negative. The fights were quick and unbalanced. No one was compatible with Kili and time was running out. On the last attack, they sent out the _Shire Power_ and the _Leaders of Men_ , and this last one had come back seriously damaged.

They tried with most of his friends and they were relatively close with Bofur, but it wasn’t good enough. They needed someone to match him perfectly – someone to be his equal, someone as powerful and intelligent, someone as willing as he was.

That was when Legolas suggested her – but nobody thought they would be a good match.

Tauriel was ready. She’d been one Mirkwood’s greatest and had provided good strategic advice and counsel since the war against the Kaijus started. Now she was ready to go back to battlefield, to go fight those things one on one. She’d been waiting for Thranduil to finally retire and leave her his place next to Legolas, but well, there was no harm in trying this, right?

The Durins were practically legends, even if Tauriel thought their style was a bit too harsh. They were effective, if sometimes a bit reckless. Nevertheless, when Legolas told her to try she saw no harm in it. The younger Durin was a good warrior from what she’d seen, and she wouldn’t mind getting a bit of action, even if she didn’t get past the compatibility tests.

It was true that they were nothing alike. They came from opposite sides of the world and it was no secret that their leaders, Thorin and Thranduil, hated each other’s guts. She was tall and graceful, he was short-ish and much more brute. But they were both archers, both good fighting at different ranges.

On the day of their first fight, everyone was looking at them. It was a closed-ranged fight with some training weapons. Thorin muttered under his breath that he didn’t like the idea of his boy drifting with one of Thranduil’s elves. Fili didn’t like the idea too much either, but he was convinced that they wouldn’t work. Maybe his brother had been right and there was no one out there but him to be his partner. Who knew.

Tauriel towered over Kili while they prepared to fight. There was a sly smile on Kili’s lips – oh, yes, she was going to show this lady what he was capable of.

As soon as they started they knew this was different.

This was no common fight, this was no common opponent.

The fight was like a dance. Every movement was perfectly synchronized, every blow stopped. They were on each other and they avoided the other when needed. Both were increasingly surprised at the other’s skill and kept trying to make the other fail. To no avail.

Everyone was watching them, but they only had eyes for each other.

In a moment of distraction, Tauriel locked her opponent in a tight paralyzing grip with her arms, weapons forgotten in the floor. She looked at him.

“You’re not a bad fighter for such a small man.”

“Not bad yourself, Lady.”

Their eyes were smiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And.... Tauriel comes in.
> 
> Please do comment! Did you like it? Hope you did!
> 
> Next chapter they drift for the first time and things get a bit ugly.


	3. Chapter 3

Tauriel was laying awake in her bed, unable to sleep.

She was thinking of the man she had just fought, thinking about her life could change from that moment on. They were drift compatible, that much was clear. Oh, after studying the Kaijus and Jaegers so much, after being in the background for so long, now she had a chance to shine, to put all her knowledge to the test. To be part of the resistance, truly.  As bad as it may sound, she couldn’t to go one the first time, go against a Kaiju. She was ready.

Her mind wandered then to the man who would be her partner .

She thought of his bright eyes, of his quick movements. She knew of the work of  the Durins (everybody did) but she, like everybody else, had a tendency to think about the brothers as a unit instead of them being to separate and independent people. When they fought, they fought together – when they won, they won together. They’d always done everything together as far as she knew and she had never considered them separately, never thought they could be different. But now one of them was out of the game and she’d realized that Kili was a person on his own, and a very interesting one, at that.

She imagined it wouldn’t be easy for him doing this without his brother, and with someone who was almost a complete stranger. She decided she would try to be as nice and understanding as possible.

She tried to sleep but she was too excited to get any rest. The thought of this new adventure was keeping her awake.

The thought of him.

The next day came very quickly and everything was ready to see how the Menace behaved with its new pilot pair. Bilbo prepared everything efficiently, under the careful watch of the Marshall, who’d been frowning the whole time.

He didn’t like this, not one bit. As different from the others as Tauriel might seem, she’d been under Thranduil’s orders all her life and who knew if in difficult situations she would abandon Kili like the blonde man had done with him, so many years ago. He didn’ like putting his nephew in danger like that… He was one of the last few things he had left. Since their father had died when they were very young children, Fili and Kili had been like his own sons, and he had watched over them. If continuously feared for their lives ever since they decided to become pilots. But they were a good team, they balanced each other out.

Fili was more responsible and calm while Kili had more taste for adventure and for trying risky moves. And as the older brother he was, Fili had always protected Kili all that he could he could. He was as protective of his little brother as Thorin was of both boys.

But this woman… she was a stranger. She had no reason to protect Kili except that she needed him to pilot the thing. No connection whatsoever. They were strangers, they knew almost nothing of the other and now they were going to do something very dangerous, even intimate. Thorin didn’t think they could work as well as the brothers had. If only Kili had been compatible with one of the boys…

But no.

“Let’s see how this works.” Bilbo said, terribly excited. He had two cups of coffee, a donut and a sandwich (his second breakfast) next to the cons. “It was quite a surprise, wasn’t it? Kili and that woman from Mirkwood.”

“Yes, it was.”

All eyes were on them.

The other pilots had gone to watch even the supreme boss, Galadriel, was to be informed of how this went. It was a big day.

Both Tauriel and Kili showed up at the agreed time. None of them had slept too much as excited as they were for the new day, the new adventure. Fili was in the front row with his crutches, watching the gigantic robot that had been his home so many times. It felt strange knowing that someone else would be in his spot, in his position. That was his position. He cursed his bad luck – he knew it could have been much worse, but he hated this injury. Hated it.

Kili and Tauriel smiled at the crowd before putting their helmets on and went into the Menace. Fili had a bad feeling he couldn’t shake off. Something was wrong. He knew it.

When Tauriel got into the Menace she had to spend a few moments there, completely still, marveling at its magnificence. The Elven was more beautiful and elegant, that was for certain, this Jaeger was much more greyer and sturdier, but this one had a stronger familiar charm… It felt like home, even if it was the first time she’d set foot in it.

“Ready?”

Kili was smiling at her. He always seemed to have a smile on his face, that boy. Not a bad quality for a warrior, in Tauriel’s opinion. There were so many good men who lost themselves in the darkness of battle…

The younger Durin was quite nervous – he was going to expose himself to this woman, merge his mind with hers. She would see all that he was, inside and outside. All his memories. Everything. What if she didn’t like him? What if she thought him childish or weak? No, no, no, he was braver than that, wasn’t he? If he was honest, not having his brother by his side made him a bit anxious, a bit like an orphan. But he could do this- he was Kili, last of the line of Durin and one of the best pilots there were.

They put on the helmets and it started.

Before they knew it, they were in it. Everything was it. The neural handshake, the drift. They saw many things of each other, they were in the other. The memories…. Kili saw Tauriel flourish on Mirkwood, he saw her become a Captain of the Guar and smile as she received the honors; she saw her on secret missions with Legolas and she saw her laugh with him; she saw her be reprimanded by Thranduil, she saw her study the Kaijus and help  out the commanders of her land. And she saw him too, she saw him when he was a small kid in his father’s funeral, saw him desperately trying to impress his uncle, saw him living and fighting side by with his brother.

After the initial shock and strangeness, they soon got used to being in the drift together, and started moving. The Menace behaved perfectly, as if Tauriel had always been there piloting. Smooth but strong, as it had always been.

When they got out, they applauded them.

After such success, Tauriel had to fight the urge to just hug the guy, for giving her this incredible opportunity. Looking at him, Tauriel noticed that her partner looked a bit pale.

“You ok? You’re looking a little pale there.”

“I’m the expert, Lady you are the newbie. I should be asking you if you are all right, shouldn’t I?”

“I am all right, little man.”

“Oh, dear, you are much more than that.”

Kili winked at her and left, trying to maintain the good impression.

When he arrived at his room, he was violently sick in the sink.

He looked at himself in the mirror and saw the shadows under his eyes. His head pounded and his hands were shaking. He felt as if he was going to be sick again.

 No. He couldn’t go down as well, they couldn’t lose him too. The world needed him, he needed the Menace. And he finally had a real chance to show his uncle that he could a great warrior on his own, to prove Fili he could take care of himself without him on his back.

This was nothing.

He was ok.

There was no alternative. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kili has sequels from being in the Jaeger too long by himself and doesn't want to admit it.... ANGST.
> 
> But Tauriel is there, being awesome ^^
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! All feedback is appreciated!


	4. Chapter 4

When Kili woke up the next day, he felt even worse. His head swam and the world seemed to dance around him – he felt as if he was in a rocking boat, on a day with a sea storm. When his brother knocked on his door to see if he was coming to breakfast he told him that he wanted to sleep a bit more. He’d need the extra rest and energy if they were called, Kili said, not wanting to worry his brother. But it was too late for that.

Fili was worried. He left his brother alone but wasn’t reassured, not at all. It was not like Kili to stay in his room for so long (he hadn’t seen him the previous day at dinner, either) – it was unusual. And there was still that bad feeling he couldn’t shake off. Maybe it was just him being the slightly over protective older brother he’d always been. Maybe it scared him knowing that Kili would go into the battlefield without him to protect him.

Or maybe something was really wrong.

At around noon, Kili started feeling better and after a nice hot long shower (the water on his head, that hot water that reached everyplace, it felt so incredibly good) he went out into the world again with renewed energies.

He ran into Tauriel when he was having lunch and they talked about the Menace, about the kaijus, exchanged battle anecdotes until long after lunch was over.  They trained that evening.  Another dance of two, another perfect symbiosis of movements.

Tauriel couldn’t admiring her new partner’s sense of humour and positivity, especially after all the horror he’d seen. A special individual, that one. Strong. Interesting. He seemed a bit more worn, more tired than the other day, but every time she asked about it he said he was fine and she didn’t want to sound like a mother.

Maybe he just had a bad night. It happened sometimes – she knew of sleepless nights, and of dreams that woke you up in the middle of the night and kept you awake. She wondered if he had nightmares too. She wondered how bad they were. A small, almost inexistent part of her wanted sometimes to get out of the line of fire and take the boy and comfort him. But that was nonsense, touchy-feely stuff that only distract her from that compliment.

With every victory, they got stronger than the evil that plagued their world.

That was what was important. The fight. Ridding the world of darkness so light could shine on.

The next day Kili found her for breakfast too and they continued speaking. The brother was there too for a while, but he seemed worried, and left without speaking much. Kili and Tauriel talked for hours, about weapons and about being in the line of fire. About bosses. About scars. He showed her the ones he had on his chest and arms, and told the stories behind each one of them. There were many. Way too many for such a young man.

It made Tauriel feel almost naked in comparison because she had almost none, even if she had been fighting for more years than him. ( _Kili was so young, so terribly young and smiling, he sometimes reminded her of a puppy, and it was bad, because a war was no place for a smiling puppy, the monsters would kill him and make him a rabid dog and that would be heartbreaking, really. No. NO. Tauriel, focus)_  

But she had few scars because she fought in a long range and the armors of the people of her land were flawless. Besides, the people from the forest had very strong immune systems wich meant that they healed very quickly and very well and made them more difficult to kill. They were also taller than the average, one of the reasons why Tauriel towered over her new partner.

They started spending many hours together, almost neglecting the company of other people. There was something about her… Something about him… Something special, something that made them click.

“I like you, little man.” Tauriel said one day. And she meant it. Kili flashed her one of his adorable bright smiles and Tauriel felt the barriers she’d so carefully constructed melting. If she wasn’t careful she was gonna get attached. Damn him and his puppy smiles. Damn his strong hands and scar-filled chest. This was not the place or the time for feelings like those.

As nice and smiling as Kili might look on the outside, in reality things were not so good. He could hardly keep any food down and his headache was fiercer than ever. But he couldn’t give up, not now. He could do so much good with Tauriel… and it was too late to back down now. (And there was a part of him that really, really wanted to impress Tauriel, no matter how childish it sounded).

But the next day they were fighting when the world started blurring and darkness took over his vision. Tauriel watched, increasingly scared, how her partner’s eyes went out of focus and how he dropped the weapon. He was falling forwards, but Tauriel held him before he fell.

“Kili? Kili!”

His eyes were closed and Tauriel didn’t know what to do. Call a medical team? Simply wait to see if he woke up? She placed him in a chair and softly slapped his face while calling his name again.

Kili heard his name being called through the fog of his mind, and saw a pair of worried eyes looking at him. But everything was so blurry and he was so tired… He closed his eyes again, but the voice was persistent. Wouldn’t let him go back into the darkness.

“Hey! You all right?”

Tauriel. Damn.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine, it was just a…. moment of weakness, don’t worry, I’m fine.”

He let go of her and shakily got to his feet, hoping that the world would stop turning.

“Let me take you to the medical wing.” She said, arriving next to him.

“No need. It was nothing, really.”

“It didn’t look like nothing. You were out for a whole minute.”

“I SAID I’M FINE!” Tauriel looked surprised at his tone. “Sorry, I just…. People are always doubting me and…I’m sorry, really. I only need to eat something, I shouldn’t have skipped breakfast. I just need some sugar, that’s all.” He said, smiling again.

“You’re sure of that?”

“Yeah, I am. But thanks for the concern, partner.” He winked and left for the canteen to have some coffee or something.

He was still feeling a bit woozy. Damn headache.

Tauriel followed him, still a bit worried. She needed him well – there was too much at risk. She went with him, saying that she wanted something to eat.

They were eating was when the alarm sounded.

“There you boys are!” Bilbo said. “You’re needed. There’s an enormous one two hundred miles to the north and Thranduil is nowhere to be seen. We need the Menace.”

“We can’t.” Tauriel said. They couldn’t go out there when one of them was sick.

“We need you! You’re our only asset right now!”

“Kili is…”

“ Perfectly ready, that’s what I am. We’ll go, don’t worry.”

Bilbo left and Tauriel threw him a concerned look.

“They need us. And I’m fine, ok? We can do this, trust me.”

They left for the Jaeger, between alarm sounds and running people.

The last and only asset indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! 
> 
> Please do comment! I want to know if you're liking it or not.
> 
> And sorry for the mistakes, English is not my first language. ^^
> 
> Next time, some fighting, some more feelings and even more aangst!


	5. Chapter 5

They were out there and in front of the Kaiju sooner than expected. To be honest, everything seemed too rushed for Tauriel, too quick. And she was still worried for her partner. They were supposed to be 100 percent, both of them. Thorin had thrown them a worried look and she knew he had reason to worry.

Nevertheless, it was time to focus on the battle that lay ahead.

And there it was, roaring into the skies a blue and grey mass of limbs, six eyes in the centre of his head, and all of them were looking at the Durin menace.

There was a small smile in Kili’s lips and then it started.

The Kaiju threw itself to them, but the Jaeger stopped its advances and tried to get the upper hand. It was an equal fight, as the Kaiju was as big as the Jaeger – even if it had some coordination problems. But he determined to get the Menace out of his way before continuing. But the Menace wasn’t being an easy foe.

Down at HQ, many eyes were following the fight closely. Thorin, Bilbo and Fili were on the main control and communications room, flinching at every movement. Legolas was watching the fight too, wanting to see how his friend fared. The Kaiju punched the giant Robot in a rage and sent the Menace flying backwards. Everyone held their breath.

But then it got back up and angrier than ever. Tauriel looked at Kili and he nodded. It was time to prepare their secret weapon – time to charge. They tackled the beast a couple of times while it was getting ready and both pilots hoped that the charging weapon would work. They were screwed if it didn’t. The thing had come at them and latched itself onto the armor. The Kaiju sank its teeth near Kili’s head. They were getting better and stronger every time, those damn monsters. And the damn thing wasn’t ready. They managed to shake off the Kaiju, finally, but part of the systems had been damaged. Damn those beasts.

Fortunately, they hadn’t lost much. The Menace used a laser on the Monster but it barely broke the skin. The only thing that it did that was piss the monster off. Inside the Menace, Kili and Tauriel worked in unison, as if this wasn’t the first but the hundredth time they had worked together.

Fili looked up at the image in the screen, scared. It was so different when he was there, you lived things and didn’t seem as dangerous or as impossible. But now, seeing the Robot with his brother there, in the line of fire, being tackled and out powered and not being able to do anything. He felt as if his heart would jump out of his throat. Luckily for him and for the pilots, the fight didn’t get any uglier.

The pilots heard a beep and it was ready. Pressing a button, the pieces of one of the weapons reassembled themselves forming a huge metal bow and an enormous arrow. Another click on a button and the arrow was on fire. The Flaming Arrow. It had been their idea, Kili and Tauriel’s. Their combined aim allowed them to reach the monster in the chest.

Its heart caught on fire, as did the rest of its organs. It screamed, a terrifying scream and was dead before it fell, its internal organs consumed by the fire.

“YES!”

Back in HQ, there were hugs, congratulations and high-fives. They had made it, the monster was dead and neither of them was hurt. Hell, even the Menace was going to back to come back almost whole. This was a huge victory. In a time when the day they didn’t lose a pilot, they lost a whole Jaeger, this was an incredible advance. This was cause for celebration.

In the Menace, Kili and Tauriel were smiling at each other.

“You were great, partner.” Kili said.

He hadn’t expected things to go so smoothly without Fili – he imagined fighting would have been more difficult, less easy. But drifting with Tauriel was as easy as breathing and so had been fighting with her. Flawless, like her face.

“So were you.”  Tauriel replied.

This had been her first time on the field and it had been a success. They had fought as if they were one, Kili and her. Perfectly synchronized at all times. And in the end, it had been their idea which had managed to finish off the beast, their skill, no one else’s. Tauriel knew that her partner had been mocked for learning how to use the bow, that he’d heard that it wasn’t manly, a weapon for people of the forest, an outdated weapon. Now those people would see how wrong they were.

They were taken to HQ and welcomed amongst applause and cheering.

At one point, Tauriel took Kili’s hand on hers and raised them up high. Both hands together.

People had thought they wouldn’t be good together. She was too tall for him, he was too though for her, they were just too different. That meant nothing.

When they left to rest a bit, after hearing many congratulations, just before retreating to his room, Kili winked at her, that big smile on his face. Tauriel had to fight the urge to simply sweep him off his feet and kiss him, kiss him like he’d never been kissed before. A blush flooded her cheeks. Wow.

Those damn thoughts were becoming more and more graphic each time. _Control yourself, Tauriel._

Kili had to admit that he had thought things like too, not exactly appropriate things. Ever since they had fought that first time and had been so close to each other. But he reminded himself each time – she was completely out of her league. Way too good for her. She would never think of him that way, she could have never loved him. He was only a partner in the fight, nothing else. Besides, he suspected that Legolas had a thing for her and there was no way that he could compete with that super-tall elf. It was hopeless.

Sprawled in his bed, Kili thought about her, about her smile after they won. Such a perfect image. It would have been a perfect moment if it wasn’t for his headache. Someday it would have to stop, wouldn’t it?

After a while, when it was already dark outside, there was a knock on his door, and it was her.

She had a bottle of whiskey in one hand and two glasses on the other.

“Join me for a celebration drink on the roof?”

Kili smiled, again.

“Delighted to.”

They went up to the rooftop and the cool air of the night greeted them. There was no one else on the rooftop, only them and their alcohol. And the night, and the stars. Tauriel wanted to say so many things when she looked at Kili. She wanted to say that he was one of the bravest men she’d met. She wanted to say that she admired him, his strength, his intellect. She wanted to say _thank you_ for accepting her. But the only thing that came out was:

“So many stars tonight.” She mentally slapped herself.

_So many stars? How can you be so lame, Tauriel? Fix it!_

“I’ve always loved the light of the stars. They’re memory. Each one of them has a story to tell.”

_That’s a bit better._

“Never thought of it like that. I always thought they were too distant and cold and to be any use. But you make an interesting point.”

She poured the whiskey on the glasses and they put them together.

“To victory.” She said.

“And to us.” Kili added.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked! It's starting to get romantic y'all!
> 
> All feedback is greatly appreciated!


	6. Chapter 6

It meant nothing, right?

They’d been drunk on whiskey and victory and Tauriel decided that she wanted him and she took him by the waist and drunkenly kissed him. And he kissed back.

And they were lost on each other.

They made love under the stars.

 When they went down to their rooms, they were still a bit drunk.

Not really knowing if that had been true. Kili wondered if it had all been a dream.

The next day was a bit awkward but after a while avoiding the issue, they decided they didn’t regret what had happened. This didn’t mean that they would hold hands and have corny dates – they were pilots first of all, warriors, professionals. Maybe when they finally managed to close the rim once and for all, when the Kaijus stopped coming and the war was finally won they would get to have that kind of thing. But in that moment the primary focus was the war.

They were the main defense of the world, of mankind. And they wouldn’t let anybody down.

In the next two weeks there were three Kaiju attacks, and the Menace dealt with all three of them quickly and efficiently. Everybody cheered, everybody admired them. They were heroes. Nobody was very surprised when they kissed after coming back the last time, in front of everyone. They had imagined as much. Bilbo even won a pool.

They spent days and nights together – and it felt so easy, so comfortable.

Tauriel watched him when he slept, so beautiful and so peaceful. She enjoyed showering with him most of all – the hot water on their naked bodies, the inevitable closeness, the … well, everything. She was living a fairy tale in her bunker while fighting all the monsters. She had action – in all fronts.

She knew that this honeymoon situation wouldn’t probably last long. Maybe it was just a passion thing, something that would burn out as soon as the flames of war died out. It was a pity – Tauriel felt she could live like that forever. Just the two of them – she didn’t need anything else.

Kili was concerned.

With Tauriel spending more and more time with her, it was getting everyday harder to hide that he wasn’t A-ok. He’d been a bit better last week, which helped him quite a lot, but since coming back from the last attack he’d started feeling woozy again, indisposed. Maybe he should just say something, stop fighting and rest.  But it was difficult. He didn’t want to worry Fili or Tauriel, and he didn’t want to let anybody down. They were counting on him.

And then he would have to tell everything, and Fili would be mad at him for not saying anything before and Thorin as well, probably. They would say that he had endangered everyone, the whole mission and the Menace by going when he wasn’t at his top. They would call him reckless, a fool – they would be disappointed. He wouldn’t hear the end of it. And he would have to put up with the hurt looks from his brother. _You should have told me –_ and those blue eyes, shining. He could practically see it.

(And part of him was afraid that if he stepped down they would find a substitute to drift with Tauriel, someone more appropriate, and she would lose interest because she realized that outside the Jaeger, without the armor, he wasn’t much. He had hit the jackpot with this lady and he was not going to jeopardize what they had. No way in hell.)

Luckily, Tauriel was called by Legolas and his father more and more often for _advice_. Kili would have been jealous if he wasn’t so relieved, or if Tauriel hadn’t told him that he would never sleep with her boss’ son, that it was bad for business. As it was, he was just happy that he could wallow in the misery of his headache in the privacy of her room. When she returned he put the mask on, again. They were living a dream, and it wouldn’t be him who shattered it.

One afternoon, as Tauriel was returning from yet some more strategy planning with Legolas, she saw Kili’s brother having a coffee in the canteen, by himself. He was the picture of melancholy. Intrigued by his sadness and wanting to know about her lover’s idol (Kili talked about his brother as if he was the most incredible person in the world), she took another coffee and went to the table.

“Mind if I join you?”

Fili threw a nasty look at her. He wasn’t in the mood for socializing, much less with this woman who had practically stolen his brother, who happened also to be his best friend, from him. He knew that it was childish to be jealous, knew that he should be happy for Kili, but he couldn’t help it.

“Your brother tells me that it was your idea to go on the Jaeger for the first time.” She said, trying to make conversation.

Fili glared at her.

“Yes.”

She nodded. And looked around the room. Fili wasn’t being exactly cooperative with this. Maybe she should have left him in his loneliness. She decided to try again.

“How’s your leg?”  

Fili sighed. It wasn’t Tauriel’s fault that he felt like shit. It wasn’t her fault that he missed his brother, it wasn’t her fault that he missed fighting. She’d been nothing but great the whole time, helping Kili fight the monsters, making his brother feel appreciated (Fili knew that his brother had thought that she was out of her league, so when she put the moves on him it was a great ego boost), even coming to talk to him. It was not her fault that he felt threatened by her.

“It’s… getting better. But I’m starting to feel that I won’t be needed anyway, when it heals.” He said.

“What do you mean?”

“You guys are quicker than we were. Better. I assume that I will no longer go on the Menace again, now that they have you.”

Oh, so this was what it was all about, the nasty looks, the not talking. The older brother felt that she was taking his place, that he had completely replaced him.

“I would never dare replace you, Fili. And I don’t think your brother would allow it, as much as he likes me. You’re half of the Menace and will always be.”

“You are more efficient.” The blonde said, bitterly. “It’s better for all if you stay together – everybody thinks so. I even heard rumors that they want to rename the Jaeger. You know what name would they give it? Kiliel.”

Tauriel felt a bit flattered, but understood this wasn’t fair. Fili deserved his place, of course he did – the people discussing things like those were being idiots.

“That’s bullshit. As much as I like the Menace, I know I’m only a temp. That it’s your baby, and in no way I’m gonna take that away from you.”

She smiled.  

Fili felt a bit reassured. He knew it wouldn't be easy for him to get back in the Jaeger, but at least now he knew that he had not only Kili but this woman on her side, too. Tauriel. He looked at her with gratitude as she left.

When she went back to her room, Kili was sleeping on the bed. The sheets were all messed up, and he was barely covered. Only wearing some pants and hugging the pillow for dear life, black hair sprawled in the white sheets. Tauriel felt her heart was melting, slowly but surely.

Jeez. She hadn’t signed up for this.

She lay next to him, careful not to wake him. It was a strange hour to be sleeping, really, but well. Why not.

When she woke up again, everything was on fire.

When she woke up again, it was hell.

**Author's Note:**

> All feedback is welcome! Please comment! Did you like the beginning? Please do tell!


End file.
